The 15th century saw the longest and bloodiest series of civil wars in British history. The crown of England changed hands five times as two branches of the Plantagenet dynasty fought to the death for the right to rule. Now, celebrated historian Dan Jones describes how the longest reigning British royal family tore itself apart until it was finally replaced by the Tudors. Some of the greatest heroes and villains in history were thrown together in these turbulent times.

5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous story; but need a scorecard.

By
R.
on
06-01-15

Magna Carta

The Birth of Liberty

By:
Dan Jones

Narrated by:
Dan Jones

Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
224

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
198

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
194

In this 800th anniversary year, Dan Jones takes us back to 1215, the turbulent time when the Magna Carta was just a peace treaty between England's King John and a group of self-interested, violent barons who were tired of his high taxes and endless foreign wars. The treaty would fail within two months of its confirmation.

5 out of 5 stars

Complicated period of history made accessible

By
N. H.
on
12-09-15

The Templars

The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors

By:
Dan Jones

Narrated by:
Dan Jones

Length: 15 hrs and 35 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
621

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
556

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
549

In 1307, as they struggled to secure their last strongholds in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Templars fell afoul of the vindictive and impulsive king of France. On Friday, October 13, hundreds of brothers were arrested en masse, imprisoned, tortured, and disbanded amid accusations of lurid sexual misconduct and heresy. They were tried by the Vatican in secret proceedings. But were they heretics or victims of a ruthlessly repressive state?

5 out of 5 stars

Unexpected

By
Protogere
on
10-30-17

The Norman Conquest

The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England

By:
Marc Morris

Narrated by:
Frazer Douglas

Length: 18 hrs and 10 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
377

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
333

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
331

An upstart French duke who sets out to conquer the most powerful and unified kingdom in Christendom. An invasion force on a scale not seen since the days of the Romans. One of the bloodiest and most decisive battles ever fought.

5 out of 5 stars

A Balanced, Entertaining, and Informative History

By
Jefferson
on
06-01-14

A Great and Terrible King

Edward I and the Forging of Britain

By:
Marc Morris

Narrated by:
Ralph Lister

Length: 18 hrs and 28 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
463

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
420

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
416

Edward I is familiar to millions as "Longshanks", conqueror of Scotland and nemesis of Sir William Wallace (in
Braveheart). Yet this story forms only the final chapter of the king's action-packed life. Earlier, Edward had defeated and killed the famous Simon de Montfort, traveled to the Holy Land, and conquered Wales. He raised the greatest armies of the Middle Ages and summoned the largest parliaments. Notoriously, he expelled all the Jews from his kingdom.

5 out of 5 stars

Narrator and Book are Both Very Good

By
horoscopy
on
04-20-15

Henry V

The Warrior King of 1415

By:
Ian Mortimer

Narrated by:
James Cameron Stewart

Length: 25 hrs and 41 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
48

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
47

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
46

This insightful look at the life of Henry V and the Battle of Agincourt casts new light on a period in history often held up as legend. A great English hero, Henry V was lionized by Shakespeare and revered by his countrymen for his religious commitment, his sense of justice, and his military victories. Here, noted historian and biographer Ian Mortimer takes a look at the man behind the legend and offers a clear, historically accurate, and realistic representation of a ruler who was all too human.

5 out of 5 stars

Accessible, grounded, enjoyable

By
Brent Weeks
on
04-10-18

The Wars of the Roses

The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors

By:
Dan Jones

Narrated by:
John Curless

Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,396

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,260

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,254

The 15th century saw the longest and bloodiest series of civil wars in British history. The crown of England changed hands five times as two branches of the Plantagenet dynasty fought to the death for the right to rule. Now, celebrated historian Dan Jones describes how the longest reigning British royal family tore itself apart until it was finally replaced by the Tudors. Some of the greatest heroes and villains in history were thrown together in these turbulent times.

5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous story; but need a scorecard.

By
R.
on
06-01-15

Magna Carta

The Birth of Liberty

By:
Dan Jones

Narrated by:
Dan Jones

Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
224

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
198

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
194

In this 800th anniversary year, Dan Jones takes us back to 1215, the turbulent time when the Magna Carta was just a peace treaty between England's King John and a group of self-interested, violent barons who were tired of his high taxes and endless foreign wars. The treaty would fail within two months of its confirmation.

5 out of 5 stars

Complicated period of history made accessible

By
N. H.
on
12-09-15

The Templars

The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors

By:
Dan Jones

Narrated by:
Dan Jones

Length: 15 hrs and 35 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
621

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
556

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
549

In 1307, as they struggled to secure their last strongholds in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Templars fell afoul of the vindictive and impulsive king of France. On Friday, October 13, hundreds of brothers were arrested en masse, imprisoned, tortured, and disbanded amid accusations of lurid sexual misconduct and heresy. They were tried by the Vatican in secret proceedings. But were they heretics or victims of a ruthlessly repressive state?

5 out of 5 stars

Unexpected

By
Protogere
on
10-30-17

The Norman Conquest

The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England

By:
Marc Morris

Narrated by:
Frazer Douglas

Length: 18 hrs and 10 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
377

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
333

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
331

An upstart French duke who sets out to conquer the most powerful and unified kingdom in Christendom. An invasion force on a scale not seen since the days of the Romans. One of the bloodiest and most decisive battles ever fought.

5 out of 5 stars

A Balanced, Entertaining, and Informative History

By
Jefferson
on
06-01-14

A Great and Terrible King

Edward I and the Forging of Britain

By:
Marc Morris

Narrated by:
Ralph Lister

Length: 18 hrs and 28 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
463

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
420

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
416

Edward I is familiar to millions as "Longshanks", conqueror of Scotland and nemesis of Sir William Wallace (in
Braveheart). Yet this story forms only the final chapter of the king's action-packed life. Earlier, Edward had defeated and killed the famous Simon de Montfort, traveled to the Holy Land, and conquered Wales. He raised the greatest armies of the Middle Ages and summoned the largest parliaments. Notoriously, he expelled all the Jews from his kingdom.

5 out of 5 stars

Narrator and Book are Both Very Good

By
horoscopy
on
04-20-15

Henry V

The Warrior King of 1415

By:
Ian Mortimer

Narrated by:
James Cameron Stewart

Length: 25 hrs and 41 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
48

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
47

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
46

This insightful look at the life of Henry V and the Battle of Agincourt casts new light on a period in history often held up as legend. A great English hero, Henry V was lionized by Shakespeare and revered by his countrymen for his religious commitment, his sense of justice, and his military victories. Here, noted historian and biographer Ian Mortimer takes a look at the man behind the legend and offers a clear, historically accurate, and realistic representation of a ruler who was all too human.

5 out of 5 stars

Accessible, grounded, enjoyable

By
Brent Weeks
on
04-10-18

Edward III

The Perfect King

By:
Ian Mortimer

Narrated by:
Alex Wyndham

Length: 19 hrs and 31 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
107

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
99

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
97

Holding power for over 50 years starting in 1327, Edward III was one of England's most influential kings and one who shaped the course of English history. Revered as one of the country's most illustrious leaders for centuries, he was also a usurper and a warmonger who ordered his uncle beheaded. A brutal man, to be sure, but also a brilliant one.

5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic biography

By
matt
on
07-30-16

The Greatest Knight

The Remarkable Life of William Marshal, the Power Behind Five English Thrones

By:
Thomas Asbridge

Narrated by:
Derek Perkins

Length: 14 hrs and 29 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
399

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
368

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
366

In The Greatest Knight, renowned historian Thomas Asbridge draws upon the thirteenth-century biography and an array of other contemporary evidence to present a compelling account of William Marshal's life and times. Asbridge charts the unparalleled rise to prominence of a man bound to a code of honor yet driven by unquenchable ambition.

4 out of 5 stars

Rare biography of a true knight

By
Mary Elizabeth Reynolds
on
04-13-15

The Tudors

By:
G. J. Meyer

Narrated by:
Robin Sachs

Length: 24 hrs and 34 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
456

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
362

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
362

For the first time in decades, here, in a single volume, is a fresh look at the fabled Tudor dynasty, comprising some of the most enigmatic figures ever to rule a country. Acclaimed historian G. J. Meyer reveals the flesh-and-bone reality in all its wild excess.

5 out of 5 stars

OUTSTANDING!

By
Linda Lou
on
03-15-10

Lancaster and York

The Wars of the Roses

By:
Alison Weir

Narrated by:
Maggie Mash

Length: 22 hrs and 9 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
113

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
101

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
100

Lancater and York is a riveting account of the Wars of the Roses, from beloved historian Alison Weir. The war between the houses of Lancaster and York was characterised by treachery, deceit, and bloody battles. Alison Weir's lucid and gripping account focuses on the human side of history. At the centre of the book stands Henry VI, the pious king whose mental instability led to political chaos, and his wife Margaret of Anjou, who took up her arms in her husband's cause and battled in a violent man's world.

3 out of 5 stars

Dense, fascinating history...questionable delivery

By
kbreezy
on
10-04-17

Henry IV

The Righteous King

By:
Ian Mortimer

Narrated by:
James Cameron Stewart

Length: 22 hrs and 15 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
51

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
46

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
45

The talented, confident, and intelligent son of John of Gaunt, Henry IV started his reign as a popular and charismatic king after he dethroned the tyrannical and wildly unpopular Richard II. But six years into his reign, Henry had survived eight assassination and overthrow attempts. Having broken God's law of primogeniture by overthrowing the man many people saw as the chosen king, Henry IV left himself vulnerable to challenges from powerful enemies about the validity of his reign. Even so, Henry managed to establish the new Lancastrian dynasty and a new rule of law.

5 out of 5 stars

Detailed and compelling

By
kayakman
on
12-15-17

Charlemagne

By:
Johannes Fried,
Peter Lewis

Narrated by:
James Cameron Stewart

Length: 30 hrs and 17 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
88

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
79

Story

3.5 out of 5 stars
79

When the legendary Frankish king and emperor Charlemagne died in 814 he left behind a dominion and a legacy unlike anything seen in Western Europe since the fall of Rome. Johannes Fried paints a compelling portrait of a devout ruler, a violent time, and a unified kingdom that deepens our understanding of the man often called the father of Europe.

1 out of 5 stars

I really wanted to enjoy this -

By
Doris
on
01-19-18

Foundation

The History of England from Its Earliest Beginnings to the Tudors: The History of England, Book 1

By:
Peter Ackroyd

Narrated by:
Clive Chafer

Length: 18 hrs and 22 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
573

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
526

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
524

In
Foundation the chronicler of London and of its river, the Thames, takes us from the primeval forests of England's prehistory to the death of the first Tudor king, Henry VII, in 1509. He guides us from the building of Stonehenge to the founding of the two great glories of medieval England: common law and the cathedrals. He shows us glimpses of the country's most distant past - a Neolithic stirrup found in a grave, a Roman fort, a Saxon tomb, a medieval manor house.

4 out of 5 stars

The Most Annoying Narrator EVER

By
JudieBee
on
12-25-15

The Crusades

The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land

By:
Thomas Asbridge

Narrated by:
Derek Perkins

Length: 25 hrs and 32 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,413

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,303

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,292

The Crusades is an authoritative, accessible single-volume history of the brutal struggle for the Holy Land in the Middle Ages. Thomas Asbridge - a renowned historian who writes with "maximum vividness" (Joan Acocella,
The New Yorker) - covers the years 1095 to 1291 in this big, ambitious, listenable account of one of the most fascinating periods in history.

4 out of 5 stars

Comprehensive

By
Tad Davis
on
10-04-16

Elizabeth of York

A Tudor Queen and Her World

By:
Alison Weir

Narrated by:
Maggie Mash

Length: 22 hrs and 54 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
312

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
289

Story

4 out of 5 stars
284

Many are familiar with the story of the much-married King Henry VIII of England and the celebrated reign of his daughter, Elizabeth I. But it is often forgotten that the life of the first Tudor queen, Elizabeth of York, Henry's mother and Elizabeth's grandmother, spanned one of England' s most dramatic and perilous periods. Now
New York Times best-selling author and acclaimed historian Alison Weir presents the first modern biography of this extraordinary woman.

5 out of 5 stars

NARRATOR SHOULD HAVE STUCK TO OWN VOICE !!!

By
Amazon Customer
on
07-08-15

The English and Their History

By:
Robert Tombs

Narrated by:
James Langton

Length: 43 hrs and 15 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
366

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
336

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
326

Robert Tombs' momentous
The English and Their History is both a startlingly fresh and a uniquely inclusive account of the people who have a claim to be the oldest nation in the world. The English first came into existence as an idea, before they had a common ruler and before the country they lived in even had a name. They have lasted as a recognizable entity ever since, and their defining national institutions can be traced back to the earliest years of their history.

5 out of 5 stars

A lengthy but intriguing look at the English

By
Timothy
on
09-15-16

The Inheritance of Rome

Illuminating the Dark Ages 400-1000

By:
Chris Wickham

Narrated by:
James Cameron Stewart

Length: 32 hrs and 6 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
5

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
5

Story

4 out of 5 stars
5

Prizewinning historian Chris Wickham defies the conventional view of the Dark Ages in European history with a work of remarkable scope and rigorous yet accessible scholarship. Drawing on a wealth of new material and featuring a thoughtful synthesis of historical and archaeological approaches, Wickham argues that these centuries were critical in the formulation of European identity. Far from being a middle period between more significant epochs, this age has much to tell us in its own right about the progress of culture and the development of political thought.

5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful book by a talented writer and historian

By
The History Club
on
07-20-18

The Normans

From Raiders to Kings

By:
Lars Brownworth

Narrated by:
James C. Lewis

Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
194

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
176

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
178

In
The Normans, Lars Brownworth follows their story, from the first shock of a Viking raid on an Irish monastery to the exile of the last Norman Prince of Antioch. In the process, he brings to vivid life the Norman tapestry's rich cast of characters: figures like Rollo the Walker, William Iron-Arm, Tancred the Monkey King, and Robert Guiscard. The Normans presents a fascinating glimpse of a time when a group of restless adventurers had the world at their fingertips.

4 out of 5 stars

Norsemen in Palermo

By
Jim
on
02-23-15

Publisher's Summary

The first Plantagenet king inherited a blood-soaked kingdom from the Normans and transformed it into an empire that stretched at its peak from Scotland to Jerusalem. In this epic history, Dan Jones vividly resurrects this fierce and seductive royal dynasty and its mythic world. We meet the captivating Eleanor of Aquitaine, twice queen and the most famous woman in Christendom; her son, Richard the Lionheart, who fought Saladin in the Third Crusade; and King John, a tyrant who was forced to sign Magna Carta, which formed the basis of our own Bill of Rights. This is the era of chivalry, Robin Hood, and the Knights Templar, the era of the Black Death, the Black Prince, the founding of Parliament, and the Hundred Years’ War.

Critic Reviews

"Dan Jones’
The Plantagenets is outstanding. Majestic in its sweep, compelling in its storytelling, this is narrative history at its best. A thrilling dynastic history of royal intrigues, violent skullduggery, and brutal warfare across two centuries of British history." (Simon Sebag Montefiore,
New York Times best-selling author)

"The Plantagenets played a defining part in shaping the nation of England, and Dan Jones tells their fascinating story with wit, verve, and vivid insight. This is exhilarating history - a fresh and gloriously compelling portrait of a brilliant, brutal, and bloody-minded dynasty." (Helen Castor, prize-winning author of
She-Wolves)

"This is history at its most epic and thrilling. I would defy anyone not to be right royally entertained by it." (Tom Holland, prize-winning author)

Excellent Narrative History

This is one of those great overview books where you get enough of the story to be engaged, but you're also left wanting more. In short, my kind of history book. I love these kinds of launch pads into deeper research. Without a book like this, the in-depth works keep the reader on the outside. A work like this helps a person to do so much more than tread water; it makes history accessible to everyone. This is not my first dip into the Plantagenet history, but it is the first time I've had it delivered cohesively and linearly. What a difference that makes, putting it all into persective! Now I can read these longer stories about Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard I, and so on with a far better understanding of how it all fits together.

Clive Chafer's narration... I have really mixed feelings about. I want so much to give him high marks. The man has an incredibly fantastic voice, the kind of voice you wish you could have so as to impress others. The problem is that his inflection and overall delivery comes across, and I hate to say this, as a parody of a BBC newscaster. Anyone remember those Monty Python skits where Eric Idle would read the news? It's that sort of thing, only with a more authoritative voice and no punchline. His cadence is very similar to this as well, where he's very "radio announcer" instead of being conversational or documentary narrative as it needs to be, and it's repetative. Let me attempt to illustrate this. You remember when your teacher first introduced you to Shakespeare and iambic pentameter, and that rhythm (da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM) was plugged in to stay for the rest of your life? Chafer isn't doing that exactly, but there is a cadence there in regard to his vocal inflection that will make itself known within just a few minutes of listening, and it goes like that to the end of the book. Maybe that's just how I'm hearing it, but if you do pick up this title - and it's well worth your credit to do so - you can judge for yourself and tell me if I'm just way off base. Based on other reviews, it seems I'm in the minority here.

fascinating story ...

... but listen carefully to the audio sample to see if the style of reading is to your taste. the narrator ends every single sentence with the same emphasis. another reviewer mentions this predictable cadence which, to me at times during the 20 hours of listening, became a distraction.in all, the book is well-written and worth a credit, but i suspect the narrration may be off-putting to some.

I should have read all the reviews!

What made the experience of listening to The Plantagenets the most enjoyable?

N/A

What other book might you compare The Plantagenets to and why?

N/A

How could the performance have been better?

I found the narration tedious and distracting, but at least I have learned to avoid this particular narrator in future, and buy the book instead! Just sorry I tried to listen several times instead of returning it within the time frame.

Any additional comments?

I wish I had read all the reviews, and listened to the sample before I bought it, as at least one reviewer advised. After several attempts to listen, I plan on deleting this from my library and putting the book on my Christmas list, because it's about a period in which I am interested. That's why overall and story are worth 4 stars, and performance receives two for stamina!

Read by the most droning, dull narrator.

Truly avoid this audio book. The book itself seems fine, but admittedly I only could suffer an hour of it. The narrator sends to be nearly falling asleep; I understand it is history and that can be dry, but at least feign some interest for the reader's sake.

The first Game of Thrones

It's often been observed that Americans have a fascination with royalty and many are prone to fawning over the royals from the mother country more than their own subjects do. Probably modern British citizens have become jaded and cynical about their living relics in Buckingham, while we Yanks still find the idea of an "absolute ruler" by birthright foreign and exotic. (And let's be honest, lots of Americans would probably be happy to live under a monarchy if they thought the monarch shared their values.)

Most of us, however, not having grown up with English kings and queens as part of our national history, can only name a few of them. There's good old King George, of course. And Henry VIII. And the king from Robin Hood. And the guy in Shakespeare's play... And, umm.... no, King Arthur doesn't count. Look, English kings are a long string of Henrys and Edwards and Richards and Johns. Who can differentiate between them?

The Plantagenets will help you out (though honestly, I still have trouble keeping all the various Edwards straight). And it's a really interesting read for anyone interested in history or the foundations of the British empire.

The Plantagenet line ruled from 1154 (Henry II) to 1399 (Richard II) - the High Middle Ages, more or less. They were the immediate descendants of William the Conqueror. The line ended (or really, split) into the two branches of Lancaster and York, which led the War of the Roses a few generations later. While George R.R. Martin is known to have loosely based his epic on that conflict, you'll learn in this book that the Plantagenets and their rivals were playing a game of thrones long before then.

Uneasy Lies the Head

The king (or queen) of England has never rested easy. Even before the Magna Carta was signed by the unpopular King John, the king could never take his power for granted. Reading The Plantagenets, you have to feel sorry for the kings, even the really terrible ones. They had troubles like any modern ruler - peers and parliaments that wouldn't give them the money they wanted to go crusading or waging war in France, relatives scheming to take their throne (half the time it was the king's own brothers or even sons rebelling against him!), and while some kings enjoyed periods of popularity and absolute rule, a downfall was never far away. More than one king was basically reduced to a puppet, sometimes in danger of being imprisoned or beheaded by his own people. The king couldn't just do what he wanted, and those who did inevitably discovered that payback is a b.

This is probably more relevant to American history than you might think. England, it is clear, had a long, long history of curbing its more excessive rulers. A king could get away with an awful lot, but London would turn on you, the people would rise against you, your own family would depose you, if you went too far. So when the American colonists rebelled against King George (by which time the power of the monarchy was already a shadow of the days when a king or queen could simply say "Off with his head!"), they were following a tradition that went back to even before the Magna Carta.

Who were the Plantagenets? Here's a quick line-up, but of course the book goes into far more detail, making each of these characters living, breathing, flawed historical figures. The author, Dan Jones, passes a verdict on each of them, generally the one popularized by historical consensus, but whether a king is now regarded as "good" or "bad," all of them had moments of glory (or at least fortitude), and moments of ignominy.

Henry II

Generally reckoned as the first Plantagenet. A grandson of William the Conqueror, and married to Eleanor of Aquitaine (who continued to be an influential figure even after his death). Started the long, multigenerational conflict with France, and raised England from a little island kingdom to a major European power. Whether or not he actually had Thomas Becket killed is still debatable, but he never actually said "Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?"

Richard I

"Richard the Lionhearted," who rebelled against his old man, then took his crown upon Henry's death, then went off crusading in the Holy Lands, leading England to be ruined by his younger brother, King John, who was openly treasonous and by all accounts a coward and a weasel pretty much his entire life. And yet, when Richard returned, he forgave his brother, and John assumed the throne after his death. This wasn't great for England. Richard is the Robin Hood guy. He also exchanged correspondence with his arch-rival in Jerusalem, Saladin, but the two never actually met, counter to various historical fantasies.

John

While historians today debate whether he really deserved his reputation as the villain of Robin Hood legends, he was by all accounts not one of England's nicer kings, and certainly not its most competent. He fought (another) losing war against France, was mockingly called "John Softsword" by his contemporaries, and is the king famously forced to sign the Magna Carta.

The remaining Plantagenet kings - Henry III, Edward I, Edward II, Edward III, and Richard II, whose tyranny and ineptitude led to a coup in which he was deposed and died in a dungeon, each have their own interesting stories. Besides their rulership, in which the economy of England rose and fell, and sometimes it was peace and prosperity and other times it was nothing but famine, civil wars, and the Black Death, they all had marital or family problems, periodic invasions of or by France, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales (the long grinding conflict with those countries also began with the Plantagenets), and then of course there was the Church, which long before Henry VIII was vexing and occasionally excommunicating British monarchs who didn't want to do what the Pope said.

This was a really fascinating read, and while I still have trouble sorting out the various Henrys and Edwards, I have a better understanding of the pivotal events in British history and what its rulers did to shape the history that followed.

Omg - narrator is the worst I have heard in 280 books on audible - unlistenable . . . Also the story is a recitation - only!

How to explain - this is a recitation of names, dates, and places - no more. When combined with the narrator - the first UNbearable narrator I have listened to in the 280 books on audible that I have listened to. I had to stop and write this I can listen to it no more. Like I said OMG!

What a Wild Group of Monarchs!

I have long wanted to get the audible version of one of my favorite historical novels, "Katherine" (Anya Seton), but decided I should brush up on my Plantagenet history first since I get some of this period confused. I couldn't have asked for a better, more interesting overview. Dan Jones hits the highlights of each of the kings and this presentation done in precise linear fashion makes it very easy to follow. I did find that keeping a family tree handy on my computer helped, but this was not difficult to follow in spite of the fact that the same 3 or 4 male and female names were used by those people over and over. (Keep wanting to holler back 800 years and suggest someone throw in a Tammy or a Larry!) One of the biggest reasons I used to get confused is that at about the 4th Matilda and the 3rd Edward, my brain wants to wander, but this book kept me plugged in the whole time. I was not thrilled with Clive Chafer's highly declarative style of reading - as one reviewer aptly put it, Chafer's delivery is more suited to a broadcaster than a narrator. However, the material is so interesting, I didn't get too hung up about the narrator. I will definitely read Jones' next book, "The War of the Roses", as soon as I finish my beloved "Katherine".

A rare and amazing look at the Plantagenets.

A true Masterpiece. I have no idea why this book has anything less than straight 5 stars. It is a very readable, compulsively addictive, in-depth story of the kings and queens who were the early ruling class: the Plantagenets. If you want something as a quick beach read, go back to Phillipa Gregory. This is actual history, and amazingly the author does a fantastic job showing both the good and negative sides of each Plantagenet King (and one Queen). This is historical NONFICTION, people.

I think it's exceptional, and I eagerly look forward to Jones' next book. As for Narrator, he is flawless!! The negative reviews shok me!

If you have a brain and are interested in the Plantagenets (early English kings beginning with Henry I and part of the war of the roses, with the Lancastrians) this is the best treatment of the subject on audible! Hands down!!

Riveting

From the beginning of the Plantagenet Dynasty thru the end of the reign of Richard, the history of the Plantagenet’s is simply riveting. These leaders, though called Kings of England, were actually French Norman until well into the 14th Century. The marriage alliances, the intrigues, the betrayals, the pure brutality, the military campaigns, the plagues and ultimately the advances towards modern day governing all contribute to make this a fascinating book. The Kings and leaders were certainly not gentle people, yet many of actions they took played a significant role in how England, and ultimately Europe developed into what it is today. I guess I thought there was more National identity during these times than there actually seemed to be – the spheres of influence were in actuality more aligned with ruling families than nationalistic. Most of the coastal areas of modern day France were frequently under the rule of the Plantagenet Kings, until nearly the 15th century. Through each ensuing reign, you can see small advances in curbing the ultimate power of the Kings to the point of removing later Kings Edward II and Richard II. And while the Kings power was slowly being curtailed, the power of the legislative part of Government slowly grew – from the inception of the Magna Carta during King John’s reign until the removal of King Richard II. If you enjoy History of the middle Ages you will enjoy this book. Well worth the credit.